Psoriasis is a long-term, non-infectious autoimmune disease characterized by raised areas of abnormal skin. These areas are red or purple in some people with darker skin, dry, itchy and scaly. Psoriasis ranges in severity from small, localized areas to full body coverage. Injury to the skin can cause skin changes in that area, known as the Koebner phenomenon.


The five main types of psoriasis are plaque, guttate, inverse, pustular and erythrodermic. Plaque psoriasis, also known as psoriasis vulgaris, makes up about 90% of cases. It usually presents as red patches with white scales on them. The most commonly affected body parts are the back of the forearms, shins, navel and scalp. Guttate psoriasis has drop-shaped lesions. Pustular psoriasis presents as small, noninfectious, pus-filled blisters. Inverse psoriasis forms red patches in skin folds. Erythrodermic psoriasis occurs when the rash becomes very widespread and may develop from any of the other types. In most people with psoriasis, the fingernails and toenails are affected at some point. This may include pitting in the nails or changes in nail color.


It is generally believed that psoriasis is a genetic disease caused by environmental factors. If one twin has psoriasis, the other twin is three times more likely to be affected if the twins are identical than if they are non-identical. This suggests that genetic factors predispose to psoriasis. Symptoms often worsen during winter and with certain medications, such as beta-blockers or NSAIDs. Infections and psychological stress can also play a role. The underlying mechanism is that the immune system responds to skin cells. Diagnosis is usually based on the signs and symptoms.


Treatment BeterKlinic

BeterKliniek is the clinic for Integrative Medicine that bridges regular and non-regular medicine.

An van Veen (physician) and Michael van Gils (therapist) look for the cause of a condition or disease. That is where the treatment starts otherwise, as people often say, it is 'carrying water to the sea'. We call this cause medicine. Sometimes it is also desirable to treat the symptoms (at the same time). We call this symptom medicine.

Chronic disorders often have their cause in epi- genetics. You can schedule a free informative telephone consultation (phone number 040-7117337 until 1 p.m.) at BeterKliniek to discuss your symptoms so that we can provide you with further advice.